This month’s Drop Box CrossFit member is one who is very well liked, admired and respected by all. Pete is a husband, father, grandfather and Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Pete commutes to our Virginia Beach box straight from Newport News and from his home in Chesapeake!

Pete is one of those members who constantly impresses us with his feats of strength and perseverance in workouts. He is an athlete who strives to get better with each visit to the box. In addition to establishing some serious PRs, you can always catch Pete smiling and cheering on his fellow members. One of the nicest guys you will ever meet who is never without a good story to share. Read on to learn about his journey into CrossFit…

In 2013, while living in Sasebo Japan, A good friend asked me have I ever tried CrossFit. At the time I was a seasoned beach body advocate by way of Insanity and Asylum and I didn’t think CrossFit would be any different so I passed. I also love running and cycling so anytime I was invited to a WOD and the weather was nice, cycling always won. After moving back to Virginia in April 2015, my wife Montreal and I decided it was time to give it a try. I am my biggest critic, so I figured once I started I would be good. Well it wasn’t that easy. I struggled for weeks trying to motivate myself to get into the gym not because I didn't want to go, but more because it was not as easy as I thought. Luckily, there was a great support system through the coaches and other DBCF family members that I was not going to forego the challenge.

As time went on, I focused more on the basics and with guidance and suppor, I felt I was getting better. I continued to push through and I started reaping the benefits of the program. I begin to overcome my fears of failure and also the things I thought I couldn't do like hand stand pushups. I still love biking and running and CrossFit has helped me get stronger. Because of the endurance sports I don’t like working my legs in the gym but a lot of the WODs work legs. I am thankful for the support I have received from the Drop Box CrossFit family and because of that, CrossFit has become a way of life. I feel stronger and faster and I have also learned that my body can do way more than what I have allowed it to do. Even though life keeps me busy I will continue to CrossFit.

Pete also participated in a team oriented 30 day Paleo Challenge with Drop Box CrossFit this past summer. Pete did awesome and tied for 1st place in the men’s division. We asked him to share his thoughts on his experience in doing the challenge and this is what he had to say:

I want to say thank you to the Drop Box CrossFit family for starting the Paleo 30 day challenge. I have tried many diets and many different eating styles and the Paleo is truly the best one. I started the challenge at 245 pounds it was hard to maintain for the entire 30 days so I may have messed it up four or 5 days out of the 30. It was easy to get restarted. I believe having teams really helped because you were not working alone and you did not want to let your team down. It made it a little easier because everyone was posting their meals on Facebook and in order for me to stick with it I have to have more options. I use the website call the Paleoplan, Pinterest, and my wife bought two books. There were so many meals and ideas to choose from so I stayed in the kitchen quite a bit. In the end, I lost 16 pounds and I felt very healthy and energized. Because of the challenge I continue to do Paleo Monday through Friday because I think it has changed my lifestyle. Thank you DBCF family!!!

-July 2015

Pete and his wife Montreal getting their run on with a slam ball

Member Spotlight - Sheltric "Pete" Peterson